Philippine National Railways
The Philippine National Railways (PNR) is a state-owned railway company in the Philippines, operating a single line of track on Luzon. As of 2016, it operates one commuter rail service in Metro Manila and local services between Sipocot, Naga City and Legazpi City in the Bicol Region. PNR used to operate over 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) of route from La Union to the Bicol Region. However, neglect reduced PNR's service. Persistent problems with informal settlers in the 1990s contributed further to PNR's decline. In 2006, Typhoons Milenyo and Reming caused severe damage to the network, resulting in the suspension of the Manila-Bicol services. History Background Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan On June 25, 1875, under a royal decree issued by King Alfonso XII of Spain, the required Inspector of Public Works of the Philippine Islands was requested to submit a railway system plan for Luzon. The plan, which was submitted five months later by Don Eduardo Lopez Navarro, was entitled Memoria Sobre el Plan General de Ferrocarriles en la Isla de Luzón, and was promptly approved. A concession for the construction of a railway line from Manila to Dagupan was granted to Don Edmundo Sykes of the Ferrocarril de Manila–Dagupan (Manila–Dagupan Railway), later to become the Manila Railway Company, Ltd. of London, on June 1, 1887. The Ferrocarril de Manila–Dagupan, which constitutes much of the North Main Line today, began construction in July 31, 1887 with the laying of the cornerstone for Tutuban station, and the 195-kilometer (121 mile) line opened on November 24, 1892. Expansion of the Philippine railway network would not begin until the American colonial period, when on December 8, 1902, the Philippine Commission passed legislation authorizing the construction of another railway line, which would later form the South Main Line. Manila Railroad Company Additional legislation was passed in 1909 authorizing further railway construction and the use of government bonds to finance them, and by 1916, 792.5 kilometers (492.4 miles) of track had been built by the company, which had reorganized itself as the Manila Railroad Company of New Jersey (MRR). Apart from the North and South Main Lines, other lines branching out of these two main lines were built, like the lines to Rosales and San Quintin, Pangasinan; San Jose and Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija; Dau, Carmen, Floridablanca and Arayat, all in Pampanga province, as well as inside the US Air Base Fort Stotsenburg which became Clark Air Base, later Clark International Airport; Antipolo, Taytay, and Montalban, a spur line to Nielsen Field in what is now Ayala Avenue in the Makati Central Business District from Culi Culi (now Pasay Road) Station, all in Rizal province (Makati is now part of Metro Manila); Cavite City and the nearby US Air Base of Sangley Point as well as Noveleta and Naic, both in Cavite province; Canlubang, Santa Cruz and Pagsanjan all in Laguna province; Batangas City and Bauan both in Batangas province, as well as a line connecting San Pablo in Laguna to Luta (later Malvar) in Batangas province (this used to be part of Main Line South until a shorter cut-off line connecting Los Baños on the Santa-Cruz/Pangsanjan line to San Pablo was opened); Port Ragay in the Bicol province of Camarines Sur; as well as till Tabaco from Legazpi, Albay. Post-war period Later in the 1950s, the MRR fleet of locomotives was converted from steam to diesel engines, and the company was given a new charter under Republic Act No. 4156, becoming the modern-day Philippine National Railways. Philippine National Railways In 1988, during the administration of Corazon Aquino, the North Main Line was closed, with trains unable to reach various provinces in the country. The South Main Line was also closed due to typhoons and floods, and the eruption of Mayon Volcano in 1993, in which ash flows and lava destroyed the rail line and its facilities. The Bicol Express train service was inaugurated on June 29, 2011, with a maiden voyage between Manila and Naga City plus a return trip back to the terminus on July 1. Since September 2013, operations to the Bicol Region have been suspended. Due to the damages brought by the Typhoon Rammasun, it was announced that the Bicol Express' resumption of services would be further delayed until October and November 2014. Expansion attempts A railway system running from Manila to Clark was also set to be constructed in the 1990s, when Ramos signed a memorandum of agreement with Juan Carlos I of Spain for its construction on September of 1994, but the project was later cancelled due to disagreement on the source of funding. The Northrail project involved the upgrading of the existing single track to an elevated dual-track system, converting the rail gauge from narrow gauge to standard gauge, and linking Manila to Malolos City in Bulacan and further on to Angeles City, Clark Special Economic Zone, the Clark International Airport. Construction of the railway was halted, then temporarily continued in January 2009, and then stopped again in March 2011, due to a series of anomalies with the foreign contractor, before finally being scrapped in 2011 by the Aquino administration on lingering legal issues and corruption allegations. The current administration is working towards the rehabilitation of the PNR, the establishment of a railway from New Clark City to Metro Manila, the North-South Commuter Railway, the reconstruction of the current South Commuter line, and the reestablishment of long-haul services to the south. Rehabilitation of tracks and stations has commenced. After nearly 20 years, PNR reopened the Metro North Commuter line, and launched the Caloocan-Dela Rosa shuttle line, on August 1, 2018. This would be followed by a steady expansion and reintroduction of rail services to the north, currently reaching to Malabon City, which has not seen rail activity for nearly 20 years. A plan to reactivate the Carmona line was bared as well, and the revival of cargo rail from Port Area, Manila to Laguna is now being planned. Reiwa Series The Return of Godzilla To be added. Stories of Manila To be added. Mothra: The Divine Moth To be added. Mothra vs. Bagan To be added. Gamera To be added. Gamera vs. Gyaos To be added. Services The PNR currently operates in Metro Manila and the provinces of Laguna, Camarines Sur and Albay. In the past, the PNR also used to serve the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and La Union on the North Main Line, and Batangas, Quezon, Naic and Cavite City as well as Carmona, Cavite, Pagsanjan, Laguna, Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Taytay and Antipolo in the province of Rizal, on the South Main Line. The PNR used to offer freight services, using General Electric U15C 900-series locomotives bought by the company in 1974. It is currently planned for a revival leading to the Manila North Harbor. There was also a limited mobile hospital service. Stations The Philippine National Railways operates two different rail lines, namely the North Main Line (recently revived) and the South Main Line. Formerly, there were multiple spur lines, which served various parts of Luzon with its 138 (once) active stations. Future railway systems under the PNR, such as that of the new North–South Commuter Railway line, proposes elevated stations and platforms similar to the Manila LRT and MRT lines in select sections. Plans Mindanao Railway The railway system to be built in Mindanao will have about 2,000 kilometers of track, and considered one of Rodrigo Duterte's primary infrastructure projects. The first phase, which is 105 km, would start construction in the third quarter of 2018 and was expected to be completed by 2022. As of 2019 no progress were made in the project. Revival of Panay Railway Since ceasing operations, the company has continued to exist and periodically announces plans to rebuild the railway, either along the original route or with a change to include a connection to the Iloilo International Airport. Some plans include a second phase to extend the line from Roxas City to the Caticlan port, from where ferries to the resort island of Boracay depart. As of 2014, the Philippine national government was opposed to any rebuilding of the line because it is expensive and not economically viable. Rolling stock Four types of rolling stock run on PNR's lines: the locomotives, the Commex express cars, baggage cars and DRC railcars. All services are operated by GE Universal Series locomotives (PNR 900 Class and PNR 2500 Class) and Hyundai Rotem DMUs. There are 14 locomotives, 18 (3 car trains, 6 sets total) diesel multiple units, 2 baggage cars and 8 DRC railcars currently operating. Surplus sleeper coaches from Japan Railways were acquired by PNR, and were delivered in November 2010. More used rolling stock from Japan Railways arrived in 2011 which included some 203 series EMU, KiHa 35-0, KiHa 52 and Kogane Train (Kiha 59). The EMUs were then modified for non-electrified railway use by adding an electric generator set at the front car behind the driver's cab. In addition, six Indonesian-manufactured DMUs and the railway's first 3 diesel hydraulic locomotives with 5 passenger coaches each, all made by the national rail manufacturer Industri Kereta Api, will join the fleet in 2019-2020. These are the first new equipment to be acquired by the PNR in many years, and the DHLs also serve as the first new locomotives to join the railways since 1996. Gallery Videos Photos Category:Real World